Recent Analysts’ Ratings Changes for Ecolab (ECL)

Ecolab (NYSE: ECL) recently received a number of ratings updates from brokerages and research firms:

• 2/24/2025 – Ecolab had its price target raised by analysts at Piper Sandler from $270.00 to $310.00. They now have an “overweight” rating on the stock.
• 2/18/2025 – Ecolab was upgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating.
• 2/12/2025 – Ecolab was upgraded by analysts at Argus to a “strong-buy” rating.
• 2/12/2025 – Ecolab had its price target raised by analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $295.00 to $313.00. They now have an “overweight” rating on the stock.
• 2/12/2025 – Ecolab had its price target raised by analysts at UBS Group AG from $257.00 to $280.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.
• 2/12/2025 – Ecolab had its price target raised by analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from $285.00 to $307.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 2/12/2025 – Ecolab had its price target raised by analysts at Citigroup Inc. from $290.00 to $305.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 2/7/2025 – Ecolab was upgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating.
• 1/28/2025 – Ecolab was upgraded by analysts at Morgan Stanley from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating. They now have a $280.00 price target on the stock, up previously from $263.00.
• 1/10/2025 – Ecolab had its price target lowered by analysts at Royal Bank of Canada from $306.00 to $294.00. They now have an “outperform” rating on the stock.
• 1/7/2025 – Ecolab had its price target lowered by analysts at Piper Sandler from $305.00 to $270.00. They now have an “overweight” rating on the stock.

Ecolab Stock Up 0.7 %

NYSE:ECL traded up $1.96 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $267.65. 130,831 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,207,780. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $245.43 and a 200 day moving average price of $248.16. The firm has a market cap of $75.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.27, a PEG ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.14. Ecolab Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $217.05 and a fifty-two week high of $268.15. The company has a current ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The basic materials company reported $1.81 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.81. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.50% and a net margin of 13.42%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be given a dividend of $0.65 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.97%. Ecolab’s payout ratio is 35.23%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Machiel Duijser sold 5,721 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $264.04, for a total value of $1,510,572.84. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 3,774 shares in the company, valued at approximately $996,486.96. This represents a 60.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director David Maclennan purchased 400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were bought at an average price of $264.51 per share, with a total value of $105,804.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 18,767 shares in the company, valued at $4,964,059.17. This represents a 2.18 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Ecolab

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of ECL. Angeles Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Ecolab by 3.0% during the third quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,391 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $355,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the period. Kirtland Hills Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Ecolab by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Kirtland Hills Capital Management LLC now owns 2,156 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $505,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Invesco LLC boosted its stake in Ecolab by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Invesco LLC now owns 1,067 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $250,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Palumbo Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Ecolab by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Palumbo Wealth Management LLC now owns 859 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $201,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Finally, World Equity Group Inc. increased its position in Ecolab by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. World Equity Group Inc. now owns 1,217 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $285,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ecolab Inc provides water, hygiene, and infection prevention solutions and services in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Global Industrial; Global Institutional & Specialty; and Global Healthcare & Life Sciences. The Global Industrial segment offers water treatment and process applications, and cleaning and sanitizing solutions to manufacturing, food and beverage processing, transportation, chemical, metals and mining, power generation, pulp and paper, commercial laundry, petroleum, refining, and petrochemical industries.